A Sioux Lookout based Child and Family Services agency says children are at increased risk of being exposed to online predators, as time spent on the Internet is soaring right now due to COVID-19 isolation.
Tikinagan Executive Director Thelma Morris says it’s important to be part of your children’s media lives, noting what your kids are watching, playing, reading and listening to is a big part of the person they’re turning into.
Morris stresses their online lives can be just as important to them as the ‘real world.’
Morris offers the following tips to parents to help keep their children safe at home during this stressful time:
-Lock apps during school hours, allowing use which are age appropriate and not allowing them to take devices to their bedrooms.
-Talk to children and youth about cyber safety. It’s okay to ask what they are accessing online.
-Be clear with setting rules and expectations when it comes to Internet usage, and ensuring they follow through with those restrictions.
-Check your children’s profiles and what they post online. Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the Internet.
-Make sure children know that anyone who asks a child to engage in sexually explicit activity online should be reported to a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult and law enforcement.
-Engage in fun, offline and screen-free activities as a family.
-Watch for signs of cyberbullying. Learn more at
Tikinagan serves 30 remote communities in northern Ontario.
